SUMMARY
- Soccer is a game of elegance and respect among the players and teams.
- Even in a sport like this things get heated sometime that give us bizarre incidents.
Soccer is known for its elegance and respect for both the teams on and off the pitch. However, at times matters turn violent and angry and some players lose their heads while playing on the pitch.
Often players usually pick up a fight or throw in a harsh tackle when they are angry or on the verge of losing but some soccer players have bitten their opponents too. So, let us take a look at 5 soccer incidents where a player has bitten his rival player.
Luis Suarez and Otman Bakkal biting incident
In 2010, while serving as the captain of Ajax, Suarez bit midfielder Bakkal of PSV Eindhoven, resulting in a seven-game ban. The Uruguayan player was dubbed the “Cannibal of Ajax” by the Dutch daily De Telegraaf, a title that followed him throughout his professional career.
On this day 10 years ago, Luis Suarez took a bite out of PSV’s Otman Bakkal 😖
He was banned for seven games
…And then did it again three years later to Branislav Ivanović pic.twitter.com/fb6VJ6zc9H
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 20, 2020
That turned out to be Suarez’s final game at the Eredivisie powerhouse as he was suspended retroactively for seven games. Suarez then went on to sign for Liverpool FC and established himself as one of the top strikers i soccer in the EPL.
Luis Suarez bites Branislav Ivanovic’s hand
Three years later, in April 2013, during a 2-2 draw against Liverpool and Chelsea, Suarez struck once more, with Ivanovic becoming his latest victim as he bit him on his hand. The referee missed the incident once more, and to make matters worse, Suarez scored an equalizer later on to give the Reds a point.
Like father like son: Luis Suarez’s youngest bites striker’s shoulder after Barcelona win over Levante https://t.co/DtV4KUcdmj pic.twitter.com/VbdeaPHz25
— Mail Sport (@MailSport) April 28, 2019
This time, the FA banned the striker for ten games, which was important because it started at the beginning of the 2013–14 season, which Liverpool ultimately lost by two points. Suarez faced a lot of hate and backlash from the soccer community regarding this incident.
Luis Suarez takes a bite off Giogrini Chiellinii’s shoulder
Once again, Suarez had bitten away more than what he could chew, but this time it was another year and another shoulder! He escaped punishment in the 2014 World Cup for a third time, this time for biting Chiellini during Uruguay’s 1-0 victory over Italy.
8. Luis Suarez = Goals, Bites & Racism pic.twitter.com/o4xh8lXcHs
— Half Virgin💦 (@modap_) June 21, 2023
However, Suarez was barred from any soccer-related activities by soccer’s regulatory body for four months. In addition, he was barred from nine international soccer matches, which put an end to his World Cup campaign in 2014.
Denis Wise bites Marcelino on his hand during a semi-final match
Speaking of arrogant players, few players in the 1980s and 1990s were as annoying as midfielder Dennis Wise of Wimbledon, who later played for Chelsea. He bit center-back Marcelino on the hand during a Cup-Winners’ Cup semi-final between his Chelsea team and Real Mallorca at Stamford Bridge.
La UEFA no castigó a Denis Wise cuando mordió a Marcelino…y era reincidente (Roberto Carlos).http://t.co/IR6fwpgGN9
— Maketo Lari (@MaketoLari) June 25, 2014
The only reason he got away with it from UEFA was that at the time, there was no disciplinary action against biting in their code of conduct. Back in those days such incidents used to occur very rarely and hence there was no particular punishment for these types of incidents.
Oliver Kahn freakishly bites Heiko Herrlich on the neck
Extremely insane Oliver Kahn, a German international goalkeeper, once relished a violent battle between Bayern Munich and Dortmund for his team in 1999. He chewed on Heiko Herrlich’s neck first, then launched himself into a leaping kung-fu kick to the kidneys of striker Stephane Chapuisat!